Quantitative Psychology Commons^™

On The Importance Of Perceived Interpersonal Safety: Antecedents And Consequences Of Living A Subjectively Safe Life, Stylianos Syropoulos

Doctoral Dissertations

The need to be and feel safe is a fundamental human need. Despite extensive theoretical arguments on the subject, and research on relevant concepts, empirical work on what it means to feel interpersonally safe (i.e., in the presence of others or in social environments in general) is scarce. This dissertation presents four investigations that seek to address this gap. It also seeks to highlight the consequences of feeling interpersonally safe for our mental and physical health, and to what degree healthy and high-quality close relationships influence how safe we feel. Chapter 1 is a literature review summarizing theories underlying these …

It’S All The Rage: An Animated Approach To Screening For Postpartum Depression, Amanda Gorham

Doctoral Dissertations

Postpartum depression presents a complication for mothers which can, in some cases, be severe and even life-threatening. Instruments commonly used to screen for this psychological condition have been challenged by an extensive body of literature, with many mothers being unidentified and even untreated for their symptoms. The presented research introduces a newly developed screening instrument for detecting probable postpartum depression using text-free scenario-based animations, based on the lived experience of the condition as qualified by empirical research and the existing body of literature. Developed items were controlled for quality via Think Aloud Protocol and alignment studies with subject matter experts …

Uncovering The Neural And Behavioral Factors That Underlie Changes In Processing Visual Orientation, Patrick Sadil

Doctoral Dissertations

From moment to moment, the visual environment appears stable; despite prolonged scrutiny, the edge of a desk is not perceived to change. But this apparent stability emerges from perceptual and decisional systems that undergo continuous modulation. In two chapters, I focus on two different kinds of modulation to the processing of visual orientation (i.e., the tilt of an edge). In both chapters, the form of modulation is latent, obscured by standard analyses. To detect those latent changes in perceptual decisions, I develop in this dissertation new statistical tools, at both behavioral and neural levels. In the first chapter, I consider …

Testing The Convergent Retrieval Learning Theory Of Testing Effects, William J. Hopper

Doctoral Dissertations

What is learned from retrieving a memory that is not learned by studying the same information? In response to this question, I have proposed a new theory of retrieval-based learning in which I argue that retrieval strengthens the ability to completely activate all portions of a memory trace from an initial state of partial activation. In effect, retrieval serves to unitize the features of a memory, making the entire memory remain retrievable in the future when cue-related activation may be weaker. This theory, called the Primary and Convergent Retrieval (PCR) model, explains why practice tests produce both better long-term retention …

Evaluation And Remediation Of Rater Scoring Of Constructed Response Items, Frank Padellaro Jr

Doctoral Dissertations

The primary focus of this study is the impact of variation in rater scoring of constructed response items for credentialing exams used for licensure or accreditation in a professional endeavor. In this type of exam, a candidate may be asked to write in detail about a legal opinion, an auditing report, or a patient diagnosis (just to name a few examples), and a rater (often a professional from the field) is responsible for evaluating the response (Raymond, 2002). Unfortunately, it is impossible for a rater, even one who is well trained, to make such judgments without some amount of error. …

The Role Of Meaning-Making In Posttraumatic Growth Among Eritrean Refugees With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Yacob Tewolde Tekie

Doctoral Dissertations

The study examined the moderating role of meaning made, meaning making and social support on the relationship between negative life events and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety and depression as well as the facilitating role of these moderating variables for posttraumatic growth(PTG). Eritrean refugees (N = 135) who were residing in Europe were recruited. The results showed that post-migration living difficulties significantly related with negative outcomes. In addition, the results showed that social support moderated the relationship between the number of traumatic life events and anxiety symptoms. However, meaning made and social support were not significant moderators on the …

The Role Of Social Class And Construal Level In Social Justice And Fairness Beliefs, Prerana Bharadwaj

Doctoral Dissertations

What predicts support for the redistribution of resources to improve socioeconomic inequality? Social class, or the subjective perception of one’s resources and position in relation to others in a larger society, was examined as one relevant characteristic. Across four experiments, social class as subjective social status was manipulated (two) and measured (all four), and found to have a significant negative effect on support for the moral values of group-based equality (social justice) but not on individual deservingness (fairness) separate from political identity and other demographic characteristics. This effect was seen on stated principles but particularly relevant in approval ratings of …

Close Or Distant Past? The Role Of Temporal Distance In Responses To Intergroup Violence From Victim And Perpetrator Perspectives, Mengyao Li

Doctoral Dissertations

As time distances people from moral transgressions, do affected parties experience a lingering need for addressing the past, or does the need gradually fade away over time? Do people perceive time differently depending on whether the ingroup has committed or suffered the transgression? In two different intergroup contexts, we investigate the role of temporal distance in attitudes toward justice and reconciliation after moral transgressions from the perspectives of both victim and perpetrator groups. In the context of the conflict between Serbs and Bosniaks, Study 1 showed that temporal distance from intergroup transgressions predicted different reactions to the transgression between victim …

Detecting Candidate Preknowledge Of Items Using A Predictive Checking Method, Xi Wang

Doctoral Dissertations

In on-demand high-stakes testing programs such as GRE and TOEFL, some items are repeatedly used across test administrations to reduce the cost of developing new items constantly. Item exposure provides an opportunity for examinees to have knowledge of particular test items in advance of their administration. It poses a threat to test security and ultimately will result in invalid test scores. Therefore, many testing programs conduct quality control to monitor test compromise at individual and/or group level. A predictive checking method is proposed in this study to detect examinee preknowledge on exposed items. We consider a scenario where a test …

Identifying Examinees Who Possess Distinct And Reliable Subscores When Added Value Is Lacking For The Total Sample, Joseph A. Rios

Doctoral Dissertations

Research has demonstrated that although subdomain information may provide no added value beyond the total score, in some contexts such information is of utility to particular demographic subgroups (Sinharay & Haberman, 2014). However, it is argued that the utility of reporting subscores for an individual should not be based on one’s manifest characteristics (e.g., gender or ethnicity), but rather on individual needs for diagnostic information, which is driven by multidimensionality in subdomain scores. To improve the validity of diagnostic information, this study proposed the use of Mahalanobis Distance and H^T indices to assess whether an individual’s data significantly departs …

The Relationship Between Demands And Resources And Teacher Burnout: A Fifteen-Year Meta-Analysis, Tammy Marie Stewart

Doctoral Dissertations

This meta-analysis explored the phenomenon of teacher burnout— the biggest contributor to teacher attrition (Owens, 2013; Unterbrink, 2014; Yu, 2015). The focus of this study was to use meta-analytical procedures to explore the relationship between burnout dimensions (i.e., emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and feelings of personal accomplishment) and specific demand and resource correlates. Demand correlates included work overload, role conflict, role ambiguity, and student misbehavior. Resource correlates included peer support, supervisory support, and decision-making. This meta-analytical research method encompassed fifteen years of published and unpublished studies from January 2000 through January 2015. A total of 116 studies met the following inclusion …

Predicting High-Stakes Tests Of Math Achievement Using A Group-Administered Rti Instrument: Validating Skills Measured By The Monitoring Instructional Responsiveness: Math, Jeremy Thomas Coles

Doctoral Dissertations

Three universal screeners and nine progress monitoring probes from the Monitoring Instructional Responsiveness: Math (MIR:M), a silent, group-administered math assessment designed for implementation with an RTI Model, were administered to 223 fifth-grade students. The growth parameters of the overall MIR:M composite and two global composites (math calculation and math reasoning) identified significant variation in student growth, within significant linear and quadratic trajectories. However, there were significant differences in the nature of the growth trajectories that have applied educational implications. In addition, growth parameters across the three composites provided significant predictive potential when using the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) Achievement …

What We Thought We Knew: Intellectual Assessment Of Individuals Who Are Blind, Richard L. Sylvester Jr.

Doctoral Dissertations

Throughout the history of intellectual assessment, research involving individuals who are blind has often been scarce. Currently, there are no intellectual assessment procedures based on the Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) theory of intelligence available to individuals who are blind. CHC theory is considered to be the gold standard of intellectual assessment and many government and diagnostic policies rely upon CHC theory. The proposed research sought to extend the current reach of CHC theory to individuals who are blind by developing a new measure of tactile performance ability. The Tactile Assessment of Performance (TAP) was developed and administered to participants who were blind …

The Effect Of State Orientation On Emotion Dysregulation, Borderline Personality Disorder, And Nonsuicidal Self-Injury, Desiree Leboeuf-Davis

Doctoral Dissertations

The current study extends the application of Personality Systems Interactions (PSI) theory (Kuhl, 2000b) to the distinction between Nonsuicidal Self-injury (NSSI) and Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) by examining the effect of State Orientation (Kuhl, 1994) on emotion dysregulation, BPD, and NSSI. Participants were recruited using social media and internet-based snowball techniques. Participants were directed to a web-based survey consisting of a demographic questionnaire, the Action Control Scale -24 (ACS-24; Kuhl, 1994; Kuhl & Fuhrmann, 1998), the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS; Gratz & Roemer, 2004; Gratz and Roemer, 2008), the McLean Screening Instrument for Borderline Personality Disorder (MSI-BPD; Zanarini …

Exploring The Structural Relationships Between Personality And 360-Degree Feedback, Cole N. Napper

Doctoral Dissertations

The process of using multiple sources or raters (i.e., self, supervisor, peers, subordinates, and others) in the assessment of managerial performance has been used pervasively in organizations with the primary goal of motivating behavioral change through feedback (Bracken, Timmrick, & Church, 2001). Multi-source or 360-degree feedback programs are especially suited to help measure behaviors related to performance and assess outcomes, such as leadership, interpersonal relationships, coaching, and communication (London & Smither, 1995). Typically, 360-degree feedback dimensions are measured by meta-categories of behavior called competencies.Bartram (2005) stated that these competencies could be defined as the search for characteristics that separate …

Deception Detection: Using Eye-Tracking Technology To Measure Faking In A Simulated Applicant Setting, Luke Simmering

Doctoral Dissertations

The impact of faking on selection assessments and the need for methods to detect such behavior has drawn increased attention of researchers in the selection field over the last quarter century. The overarching purpose of this study was to assess the validity of utilizing eye-tracking technology in the detection of applicant faking on personality measures. Specifically, this study examined the physiological cues of response latency, eye fixation, and pupil dilation and their association with deception in the context of personality assessment in a job seeking scenario. The results indicated that individuals engaged in faking behavior had significantly more eye fixations …

Research Motivation In Professional Psychology Doctoral Students: Examination Of The Psychometric Properties Of The Research Motivation Scale, Carly Bischoff Mayer

Doctoral Dissertations

Previous research suggests that the majority of clinical and counseling psychology doctoral students report low levels of research interest while in graduate school, and indicate little or no intention to pursue postdoctoral research despite having been trained within a scientist-practitioner model. Contextual and individual factors related to research interest, such as the research training environment (RTE) and self-efficacy, have been identified as potential contributors to research outcomes. Although these variables seem to be linked, many studies have found that they do not account for a substantial portion of variation in research interest. Recently, Deemer, Martens, and Buboltz (2010) developed the …

Using The Personality Assessment Inventory To Diagnose And Discriminate Between Major Depressive Disorder And Generalized Anxiety Disorder In A University Counseling Center, William Edward Nichelson Iii

Doctoral Dissertations

This study investigated the utility of the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) for diagnosing and discriminating between Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) with university counseling center clients. Participants were 1541 male and female students who received services at a student counseling center at a large university. Participants were classified as MDD, GAD, or Other Diagnosis (OD) based on the diagnosis determined by the treating clinician, and PAI profiles were compared between the three groups.

The PAI Structural Summary-Revised contains Diagnostic Consider Clusters (DCC) that were designed to identify PAI scales/subscales that are typically elevated or suppressed when …

Socially Desirable Responding On The Mmpi -2, Mcmi-Iii, And Pai In A Substance Abuse Treatment Setting, James Brian Rutland

Doctoral Dissertations

Objectively scored measures of psychopathology are increasingly relied upon to aid in the diagnosis of mental disorders and treatment planning, and three commonly used measures are the MMPI-2, MCMI-III, and PAI. A difficulty with such measures, however, is that response sets are subject to both intentional and unintentional distortion by examinees. Underreporting of psychopathology and attempts to present oneself in an overly favorable light can be particularly difficult to detect. Therefore, scales and other indices have been developed to identify underreporting and defensiveness. Paulhus (2002) has developed and refined a model for this phenomenon of underreporting, which he calls Socially …